


Regaining Myself

by Lanceeselhombre



Series: Voltron Regression Stories [1]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Age Regression/De-Aging, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, But it’s not mentioned much, Caregiver!Lance, Crying, Cuddling, Diapers, Gen, Infantilism, Kolivan is clueless, Napping, Non-Sexual Age Play, Omutsu, Pacifiers, Toys, Why aren’t those tags, bottles, little!Keith, sleeping, what do i tag
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-18
Updated: 2018-03-03
Packaged: 2019-03-20 18:27:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,563
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13723479
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lanceeselhombre/pseuds/Lanceeselhombre
Summary: The leader blinked in surprise when liquid began to trail down the other’s face, seeming to originate from the insides of his eyes. His lips pulled into a deep frown and shook along with his wobbling chin. The skin on his face pinkened slightly.When the younger blade didn’t respond with words, Kolivan ask again, “Do you need something?”This time, Keith opened his mouth as if to speak. Kolivan listened closely, waiting for an answer to explain his odd behavior.Keith shrieked.





	1. Meltdown

**Author's Note:**

> In this au Shiro is the real Shiro fake Shiro can leave. 
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing.

The hours after a mission were always the hardest. Keith was used to being able to loosen up on the way back to the castle after a battle, to be able to de-stress by playing with a toy or taking a nap. He needed that kind of time after such an extended period of fighting, where he could be little under the supervision of his fellow teammates and feel comfortable and safe.

Unfortunately, he wasn’t a part of Voltron anymore. Not actively, anyways. He’d joined the Blade of Marmora and was a soldier among their ranks now. Which was a demanding role.

He trained every day for longer and harder than he ever had with team Voltron. The missions were fewer and farther between, but he had to make do without the comforting presence of his teammates beside him. The schedule for meals was different, and the foods that were served were as well. Lights went out later. He had a new room now, one he didn’t like because of its large size.

His new life included a lot of stress, and without his usual de-stress time it was building up. But he was hesitant to regress, worried that one of the other blades would come to get him for one reason or another and find out. There was no one here that knew he regressed, no one to care for him if he allowed himself to be little. The blades might judge him and probably tease their newest recruit for feeling so young.

It wasn’t long before Keith found himself biting back sobs at the end of every mission. Training sessions were ending with the teen fighting the urge to suck on his thumb for some grounding comfort. He would get out of the shower with the ghost of the shape of his pacifier on his tongue, burning with desire for one of his favorite comfort objects.

Every time he resisted, knowing if he gave in he would slip.

He didn’t want anyone finding out.

***

Keith bit his lip, desperately teething at the swollen flesh as he fought back stressful tears. Yet another mission completed, intel gathered, at the expense of more stress being piled on his emotional state.

It was harder this time, resisting the urge to regress into his little mind. Even curled in a ball on the floor of the pod, head curled on his knees, legs drawn up against his chest with his arms wedged between them, he found himself barely managing to stay big. He couldn’t regress now, especially not in front of several faceless and unfamiliar blades, and above all his leader.

He couldn’t let them see him like that.

But he was struggling.

A tiny whimper slipped through his lips, Keith’s teeth grinding harder until he tasted the familiar tang of iron in an attempt to stop any accompanying sounds. His fingers ghosted over his lips in their fidgeting, the raven haired boy’s jaw unconsciously loosening to suck them into his mouth before he could stop. He allowed himself the comfort of quietly nursing on his pointer and middle fingers once the calming effect kicked in, making sure to hide his actions behind his legs. All heads would turn in his direction if one of them noticed such a babyish display.

Nursing seemed to do the trick, allowing him to stay quiet and calm enough for the remainder of the flight back to the base.

It was when he had to remove his fingers and stand to leave the pod that he struggled again. Pulling his fingers from his mouth was hard enough, leaving his mouth feeling cold and empty, making him want to shove them right back in. He resisted the urge to do so, fighting back a wanting sob as he wiped his fingers off on his suit and shakily got to his feet.

The second he looked to the other blades and noticed how small he was compared to them, he felt the slip start. He needed to get back to his room, hopefully big enough to be able to call the castle. It didn’t even have to be his Daddy who picked up, he just needed someone to know he was regressing and he needed them.

Everything would be fine.

***

Keith had done well this time around. Most of the time he tended to cause trouble during spy missions, usually by engaging the enemy and making their presence known. Almost to his leader’s surprise, he didn’t do that today. He was quiet as the rest of them, cautious in his movements like a proper blade. The Galra found some degree of oddness in his behavior, so laid back compared to his usual fiery nature, but the teen was finally acting appropriately, so he didn’t question him.

Keith was equally quiet on the flight back to the base, with only a small whimper at one point. The noise didn’t repeat itself, so he wasn’t very worried about his new recruit, but he would check on him when they reached the base. He might be hurt and, as he was learning, humans had many more needs than Galra and ones that needed to be met more often. He might need something. As his leader, it was Kolivan’s job to provide it for him. Whatever it may be.

The pod touched down an hour later. Every blade except Keith filed out, noticeably.

Kolivan stood and turned to face the younger blade, finding him curled up on the floor, his fingers in his mouth. Behind his mask the leader’s brow crinkled in confusion. Was he hungry? He had yet to see the hybrid make such a display.

Without any prompting Keith pulled his fingers out of his mouth and stood a moment later. As he walked towards the exit Kolivan couldn’t help but notice that, even as the young blade looked to the floor, obscuring his view of his face, his lower lip was chewed raw and bleeding. That confused him even more, as he’d never seen anyone harm themselves in such a way.

Keith walked past his leader on the way to the exit without any recognition of his presence. That part was usual, but even so the older blade reached out a hand to stop him. The appendage landed on his shoulder, causing the younger of the two to stop in his tracks.

When Keith’s teeth returned to his already chewed lip Kolivan frowned. “Are you alright?” The Galra asked quizzically, confused by the human’s sudden change in demeanor.

The leader blinked in surprise when liquid began to trail down the other’s face, seeming to originate from the insides of his eyes. His lips pulled into a deep frown and shook along with his wobbling chin. The skin on his face pinkened slightly.

The Galra stood still, miffed as he watched...whatever he was witnessing. What was Keith doing? He’d never seen him- or any of his human teammates for that matter- do such a thing.

When the younger blade didn’t respond with words, Kolivan ask again, “Do you need something?”

This time, Keith opened his mouth as if to speak. Kolivan listened closely, waiting for an answer to explain his odd behavior.

Keith shrieked.

Kolivan jumped in surprise and watched confusedly as the initiate sank to his knees and made more similar sounds of distress, more liquid pouring down his face. He gasped in puffs of air, not seeming to get enough as his skin deepened to a flushed red.

What the quiznak?

“Keith?”

“Daddy!” Keith shouted, gasping in another breath. “Daddy!”

...What?

Kolivan was at a loss for what to do. It was obvious Keith was calling for someone, but he didn’t know who or why. His only guess was that ‘daddy’ had to be one of the other paladins or Alteans from his old team. Maybe if he called them he would get more answers. If anyone could decipher this behavior it would be people of the same species who had known the hybrid for longer than he had.

It was with that idea in mind that he carefully lifted Keith off the ground by the scruff of his suit and laid him over his shoulder, beginning to walk to his bedroom. He would have prompted the boy to get up and walk himself, but he was unresponsive and seemingly inconsolable. It would be faster to carry him.

Keith tightly gripped the back of his suit and squirmed frantically, causing Kolivan to tighten his grip on the blade’s legs to keep him from falling. He could feel Keith’s heart racing against his shoulder and each time his smaller body tensed as he continued to shriek and scream.

The trip to Keith’s room felt hours longer than it really was with his constant yelling. Kolivan wasn’t prepared to deal with this kind of behavior. He didn’t know how to reply to the loud ‘no’s and ‘daddy’s the boy was shouting. They just made his ears hurt.

Once they were finally in the bedroom Kolivan sat Keith down on the bed and grabbed his data tablet from the bureau. He clicked on the video call app and chose the first contact listed; Voltron’s leader.

The tablet barely rang for more than a second before the black paladin answered. He was in his day clothes, sitting in the common room from what of the background he could see. The man’s face quickly turned from confusion to worry at the view of Kolivan’s frowning face and probably the sound of the red paladin’s shrieking.

“Kolivan? What’s wrong?” Shiro questioned worriedly. “Why is Keith crying?”

Ah, so that was what the boy was doing. _Crying_. “I do not know.” The Galra replied honestly. “We recently conducted an intelligence gathering. Keith, as you say, has been crying since we returned.” He said, explaining to the best of his ability what was happening.

Shiro’s face softened in an understanding Kolivan did not share. “Oh, can you give the tablet to him?” He asked softly.

The leader wordlessly offered the data tablet to Keith, who took it once he recognized who was on the screen.

“Taka!” Keith cried, having not calmed down at all since he first broke down in the pod. If anything, his tears sped up at the sight of such a familiar face.

“Oh, sweetheart.” Shiro cooed. “What happened?”

Keith shook his head and sobbed. “Da-ddy-y!”

“You want me to go get your Daddy?” Keith nodded. “Okay baby. I’ll go get Daddy.” He promised.

“O-k-kay!” The red paladin cried, not any calmer at the notion that he would get to see who he’d been calling for this whole time.

Clicking filled the silence between Keith’s wails as Shiro went to find ‘daddy’, whoever that was. The man gave occasional coos to soothe the boy when his sobs grew too loud.

Kolivan sat beside Keith, watching in bewilderment at how the two interacted. He previously thought of Shiro as a hard and seasoned soldier, not someone capable of such soothing words. The man had definitely seen the red paladin like this before with the way he elicited responses from him, even as he cried inconsolably.

Soon, the words coming from the data tablet changed from the black paladin’s voice to that of the blue paladin; Lance. Like the other, his tone was dripping with worry as he spoke. “Keith, baby, are you okay? What happened?”

Keith only wailed in response. “Daddy! Daddy!”

“Daddy’s here baby. Daddy’s right here.” The blue paladin reassured. “Can you take a deep breath for Daddy?” He prompted.

Finally, the red paladin nodded and breathed in deep, exhaling with a small cry. Kolivan could hear Lance’s smile in his next words. “Good job. Again?”

Keith continued to take deep breaths at Lance’s request. Within a few minutes his wails were nothing more than watery sniffles.

“Okay baby, let’s try again. What happened?” Lance asked.

“M-miss-ion.” Keith sniffled.

“You went on a mission?” A nod. “Did anything bad happen?”

Keith shook his head.

“No?” Another shake. “Are you just upset?” A nod.

“Okay baby. Is there anyone with you?” Lance asked.

Keith sniffled again and nodded, wordlessly handing the tablet back to Kolivan. The Galra took it back and held it up to see Lance frowning in worry. “How did the mission go?” He asked.

Kolivan gave a straightforward reply. “Well. No complications.”

Lance’s expression softened and he relaxed at the Galra’s words.

Kolivan relaxed slightly as well when the paladin calmed. Whatever was going on, the situation was diffused, for now. Now knowing his newest recruit wasn’t in any immediate danger, he allowed himself to be curious. “What happened to Keith?”

Lance sighed. “Yeah, you don’t know.” He said, almost to himself. “Keith, can I tell Kolivan?” He asked, speaking a little louder for the boy to hear him, searching for his consent.

Kolivan looked over to Keith, who gave a small nod in response. “Yes.” The Galra said, voicing the younger blade’s answer.

“Okay.” Lance said. “Have you ever heard of age regression?” He wondered, the look on his face implying he expected a ‘no.’

The blade shook his head, confirming his suspicions. “No, i have not.”

The blue paladin sighed. “I figured. Age regression is when someone ‘slips’ into a younger frame of mind, causing them to act and think younger than they physically are.” He explained slowly, trying not to lose the Galra like he knew he so easily could. “Make sense so far?”

Kolivan took a moment to digest that information. “Yes.”

“Good.” Lance said. “Right now, Keith is regressed, but I’m not sure how old he is. You’ll have to ask.”

“Does he need anything while he is...regressed?” The blade asked, finding the new word odd on his tongue. What a bizarre concept. Such a thing didn’t exist in Galran culture.

Lance nodded and gave a small chuckle. “Yeah, of course he does.” He said. “Do you have any experience with little kids?”

Kolivan shook his head. He hadn’t seen a kit (which he assumed was the equivalent of what Lance was talking about) in decapheobs, much less handled one.

Lance sighed. The background behind him began to move, implying the paladin was walking somewhere. “That’s fine, i can teach you.” He said. “Does Keith still have his bag over there?”

The Galra blinked. “Bag?”

“Yeah. It’s a satchel type bag with a black strap. I can ask him where it is so you don’t have to search.” He offered.

“Please.”

The blade turned the tablet towards Keith, allowing the boy to see Lance again. “Baby, can you tell Daddy where you put your bag?” The blue paladin asked.

Keith wordlessly pointed towards the closet. Kolivan stood without prompting from Lance and opened the door to the small space, looking around until he found the bag he was looking for on the top shelf. He could easily reach it, but it was probably a little high up for Keith.

“Found it.” He said as he grabbed the bag and set it down next to the bed.

“Alright, so since you don’t know what you’re doing I’m gonna head over to take care of Keith. For now just try to keep him calm and relaxed.” Lance instructed as he entered the blue lion and put the tablet down, his body moving out of frame. “I’ll keep this on in case something happens. I should be there in a few varga.”

Keith whined at that. Lance cooed to soothe him. “I know baby. I wanna see you too. If you can be good for Kolivan I can get there really fast, okay?”

The boy frowned, obviously unhappy, but agreed to be good until Lance could get to the base.

For some reason, part of Kolivan didn’t think the next few Vargas would be very easy.

***

Keith was quiet for all of ten minutes before he was complaining again. His complaints were just occasional whimpers and whines at first, thankfully. Lance easily soothed him back into silence each time.

Things escalated a little from there to Keith crying, although his cries were nothing compared to how he’d been wailing earlier. They were much more quiet now, nothing more than sniffling and upset little sounds as tears dripped down his cheeks.

At that point not even Lance’s gentle coos were soothing him. In an attempt to comfort himself, Keith shoved half his fist in his mouth, but that didn’t stop the tears either.

Lance sighed, sounding sympathetic for Keith’s distress. “Kolivan, could you get his pacifier out of his bag and give it to him?” He asked. “It’s in one of the side pockets.”

Kolivan leaned down to find the item, but still questioned its usefulness. He knew what a pacifier was, so its purpose didn’t need to be explained to him, but he wasn’t sure how it would calm Keith down when having his fist in his mouth wasn’t working. He pulled it out of the pocket it was in and sat up, looking to Keith with a bit of uncertainty. Would he upset him by pulling his hand away?

“His hand is in his mouth.” The Galra pointed out dumbly.

Lance hummed. “It’s fine, just pull it out and switch it with the pacifier.”

With that bit of assurance, Kolivan carefully wrapped his fingers around Keith’s wrist and pulled, meeting surprisingly little resistance as his hand popped free from his mouth. The Galra quickly pressed the pacifier to his lips, being surprised again as Keith immediately latched on with no fuss.

His eyes widened in something akin to awe as Keith quieted, his frame relaxing completely. The hybrid swayed a little where he sat, so Kolivan took the initiative to lay him down in the middle of the mattress. As soon as he was prone his eyelids began to droop, falling lower and lower yet never closing.

Lance breathed a knowing laugh. “Is he falling asleep?”

“He is.” Kolivan confirmed, feeling a small tug at the corners of his lips. He never knew the youngest blade was capable of being so vulnerable.

Lance was quiet for a moment. “Pat his stomach. Works like a charm.” He suggested, his tone soft and nostalgic.

The Galra wasn’t sure what he meant, but he did what he suggested anyway, secretly curious to see what effect it would have. He placed his hand on the blade’s belly and then patted it several times, watching his face closely.

His eyes opened a little at the sudden contact, but a second later they finally fell closed. Keith’s breathing evened as he went to sleep, the motions of him nursing on his pacifier slowing to a steady rhythm.

Kolivan didn’t realize he was smiling until he looked away.

***

To both Kolivan’s and Lance’s relief, Keith slept until Lance arrived at the base.

“Alright, I’m coming to you.” Lance said quietly as he picked up the data tablet. His face came back into view as he left the blue lion and started towards Keith’s room.

Kolivan gave an acknowledging hum in response. Since Keith fell asleep, he’d been watching the boy with an air of interest. He’d never seen the blade like this, yet he didn’t find it odd. If anything, he found it somewhat endearing. (Read also: cute.)

When Lance gently tapped on the door several minutes later, Kolivan experienced the strangest sensation of it being too soon, as if he didn’t want the calm silence of just him and Keith to be interrupted. Regardless, he got up to let the paladin in, knowing that Keith needed to be taken care of. (Also because he wasn’t sure how to respond to such a feeling, but no one needed to know that.)

Lance was in his day clothes, carrying a blue backpack on one shoulder behind the door. He offered a small smile in greeting to the Galra and slipped inside the room. “He’s still sleeping?” He whispered, looking over to Keith’s still figure on the bed.

“Yes.” Kolivan replied. “I apologize, but I have duties to attend to. Do you need anything before I leave?” He explained, somewhat reluctant to leave despite knowing he had to. He’d been with Keith for hours, neglecting his duties as the leader of the blade. If he didn’t attend to them soon they would pile up.

Lance shook his head. “No, I’m good. I’ve got him from here.” He said. “Thank you for watching him.”

The Galra resisted the urge to smile. He had liked(?) being with the younger blade as he was. “You’re welcome.”

Lance smiled again and left the doorway, walking over to Keith and setting down his backpack on the floor. He then lifted the sleeping boy into his arms, resting his weight on his hip, and carried him into the connected bathroom.

When the door closed and Kolivan could no longer see them, he left as well.


	2. Chapter 2

It took Kolivan a few vargas to catch up with his duties as the leader of the Blade of Marmora. By the time he was done, it was around the time that dinner was served at the base.

Instead of heading directly to the mess hall, the Galra went to check on Keith. He knew Lance was taking care of him and he would be fine, but Keith was still one of his recruits and still his responsibility. (Also, he had grown slightly fond of the boy after earlier and he secretly wanted to see him again.)

He gently knocked on the door when he arrived at Keith’s room, being considerate to not be too loud. If Keith was asleep, he didn’t want to be the one to wake him. It would make him feel guilty to disrupt him in such a way.

That wasn’t the case, however, as when Lance moved to open the door Keith- now in his day clothes, he noticed- was sitting on the floor and playing with a stuffed lion. The boy had been waving it around and giggling around a pacifier, but once he saw Kolivan he promptly stopped and looked to the floor. He rested the toy in his lap and played with its fur timidly.

Kolivan couldn’t help but frown a little at that.

“What’s up?” The blue paladin wondered, stepping to the side to allow the Galra into the room.

Kolivan watched Keith for a moment, almost upset that the younger blade seemed so uncomfortable with his presence. He hadn’t acted like this earlier, had he? “I came to check on him. But it seems I’m making him uncomfortable. I’ll leave.” He said as he turned to walk down the hallway. At least he knew Keith was okay now, he’d gotten what he came for.

Lance’s hand closed around his wrist before he could walk away. “Wait! Don’t leave, you’re not making anyone uncomfortable.” He assured, causing the Galra to look over at him. “He’s just a little shy.”

Kolivan gave him a skeptical look. Lance smiled. “Come on, lemme prove it.” He urged as he let go of the other’s wrist, giving him the choice to come in or not.

The blade took a moment to think it over before he sighed, stepping into the room. This paladin had known Keith for much longer than him, what he said about the hybrid must be true. “Alright. Prove it.” He challenged, part of him hoping that Lance was right. For some reason, he found himself wanting Keith’s trust in this vulnerable state.

Lance practically beamed at him. “On it!” He chirped as he spun around and walked over to the baby, who lifted his arms to him. The blue paladin lifted him off the floor and sat him on his hip, then waved Kolivan over.

The leader walked over as well and looked down at Keith, who squirmed under his gaze. The boy clutched the stuffed lion to his chest and hid his face in Lance’s neck, causing the Galra to frown again.

Before he could protest Lance held a finger to his lips; then motioned downwards. “Bend down to his level. People who are tall are intimidating to babies.” He instructed, using his free hand to rub Keith’s back comfortingly.

Kolivan gave him another skeptical look, but did as he said, bending at the knees until his face was even with Keith’s.

“And you have to look inviting. You can’t scowl at him.” Lance spoke up again.

The Galra sighed, switching from his disbelieving expression to a more neutral one. He thought Lance was being overly particular with him- how was a frown going to scare a soldier?- but he figured anything was possible at this point. Before today, he would never believe that his fiery recruit could be so soft, yet he was. Maybe scowling really would frighten him.

Lance nodded his approval and looked down at the boy in his arms. “Keith, can you say hi to Kolivan?” He prompted, continuing to rub his back to comfort him.

The boy curled into himself a little at his caretaker’s words, clearly not wanting to greet his leader. Lance cooed soothingly to him, encouraging him to come out of his hiding place.

Kolivan wanted to frown again at the behavior, but he stayed patient, giving the child a moment to change his mind. After a minute, his patience paid off and Keith hesitantly peeked at him from around Lance’s neck with big eyes. He nursed on his pacifier a little, probably trying to comfort himself. A second later he gave a small, shy wave.

Immediately, Kolivan felt a genuine smile spreading across his face. That was actually...really adorable. Sweet, even. This time, he let the smile linger, hoping it would make him seem less intimidating. “Hello.” He greeted with a wave of his own.

Keith watched his hand as he waved, then gazed back at his face, with those big eyes again. A smile grew on his face as well and he sat up a little more, no longer hiding behind his caretaker.

Lance ruffled Keith’s hair, eliciting a few bubbling laughs from the boy. “Good job!” He praised. He then turned to face Kolivan. “See, he’s just a little shy at first.”

“I see.” Kolivan agreed, still smiling.

He blinked when Keith suddenly reached out for him, equal parts surprised and confused. Why did he want him so suddenly? Just a second ago the child was cowering away from him.

The blue paladin smiled widely. “Here, you can take him. He wants you.” The brunette said, as if the Galra was clueless to what he wanted, leaning his torso back a little to make the transfer easier.

Kolivan was hesitant to take Keith from Lance, worried that he might scare him. He would feel awful if just him holding the baby made him cry. But Lance insisted, so the Galra carefully grabbed the boy by his under arms and stood to his full height, sitting him on his hip like he’s seen Lance do.

Contrary to the leader’s worries, Keith didn’t cry once he was in his arms. He stared up at the alien, looking mesmerized, and Kolivan stared back, wondering what he found so interesting. The baby cooed and reached a hand up towards his face, mostly likely to tug on his fur or hair, and the Galra braced for it.

What he hadn’t expected was that Keith was going for his ears.

Kolivan jumped at the sudden tug on the sensitive lobe and made a pained face. Keith only giggled, repeating the motion again and again, making the Galra feel as if his ear was being torn from his head.

Lance chuckled. “Keith, be nice.” He scolded playfully, stepping in to spare the leader more pain, as he seemed hesitant to stop the child himself.

Keith immediately heeded his caregiver’s warning and stopped yanking on the Galra’s ear, if only with a bit of reluctance. He didn’t appear to be regretful of his actions, however, as he was still smiling happily.

“Sorry. Keith likes pulling on things.” Lance apologized, unable to keep the amused tone out of his voice.

Kolivan rubbed his abused ear with one hand. “Wonderful.” He groaned, squinting down at Keith, who was still grinning widely. “What?” He asked, wondering what was so interesting.

“Kitty!” Keith yelled excitedly.

Lance snorted.

Kolivan looked to the blue paladin with a confused expression. “What did he call me?” He asked, protecting his ear from the baby, who was curiously grabbing for it again.

“Kitty. It’s a nickname for a cute cuddly animal on earth.” Lance explained. “Humans usually keep them as pets.”

The Galra stared at him, disbelieving. “How does he relate that to me?” He asked, unable to see the correlation between him and a ‘cute cuddly animal.’

Lance shrugged. “You have fur and large ears?” He said, trying to explain.

Kolivan shook his head and sighed. Keith continued to chant his new nickname for the Galra, ignorant to his distaste for being called ‘kitty.’

“Daddy!” The hybrid called suddenly, breaking his chant.

“Hmm? What’s up?” Lance asked.

Instead of replying with words, Keith tapped a fist to his mouth twice, then reached for his caregiver. Lance took him back from Kolivan and sat him on his hip. “You hungry?”

Keith nodded, repeating the movement of his hand.

Lance put the boy down on the bed and reached into his diaper bag, pulling out a baby bottle. He reached into his backpack as well, grabbing a protein shake from the front pocket.

Kolivan watched curiously as the paladin poured the protein shake into the bottle and closed it, sitting down on the bed and pulling Keith into his lap. He pulled the pacifier out of Keith’s mouth and offered him the teat of the bottle instead. The boy latched on immediately, beginning to nurse without a fuss.

“Why do you feed him like that?” The Galra wondered, honestly a little confused. Did Keith somehow lose the ability to digest normal food when he was like this?

”Well, Keith regresses to a really young age, when he would still be bottle fed if he were really that young. So it’s a bit of a mental thing. He prefers it, and I can feed him well enough on liquids for it to not be a problem.” Lance explained. It was a bit difficult to put into words though, as not many people asked why.

Kolivan nodded, quietly watching Keith finish his bottle while he digested that information. The younger blade’s state was growing more and more interesting as he learned new things about it. Not only did he act and think younger, but he could only eat what a child of his mental age would be able to eat. It was fascinating, in a way.

Lance pulled away the empty bottle and replaced it with Keith’s pacifier again, allowing the baby to move from his lap. He watched as he crawled away, reaching for the stuffed animal he abandoned in favor of food.

There was a lull for a few minutes where it was quiet, both Kolivan and Lance just watching Keith play with his lion, the child’s occasional coos filling the silence.

“I’m gonna bring him back to the castle.” Lance said quietly. “Keith could be regressed for up to a week, and I can’t be away from the rest of the paladins for that long. But he can’t be without a caregiver, so I can’t just leave him here.” He explained. The child looked up at the sound of his name, making Lance smile. “Yes, I’m talking about you.”

Kolivan took in his words thoughtfully. He was not offended or upset at all by what the blue paladin was saying. He understood that he was not capable of caring for Keith as he was, with no prior experience or general idea of what he was doing. Even if he would be a little sad having to be away from Keith, he knew it was what had to be done. “I agree.” He replied.

Lance nodded. “I’m sorry to take him on such short notice.” He apologized, not ignorant to the kind of wrenches it could throw in the blade’s plans. “But there really isn’t any other choice at the moment.”

“I understand.” The Galra said, knowing what he said was true.

They fell into a lull again, the room going completely silent as Keith seemed to lose a bit of his energy, no longer interested in his game. He put his stuffed lion down on the bed, gently laying it across a pillow before he reached for Lance.

The paladin happily took him back into his lap, holding the boy close. Keith settled down in his arms and rested his head on his caregiver’s shoulder, closing his eyes contently.

Kolivan felt a soft frown bloom across his face as he watched the scene. In such a short amount of time, he’d grown fascinated by and- quite frankly- fond of the younger blade. He never truly felt any sort of attachment to the boy before, with his explosive attitude and guarded personality; however, like this, with the playful, trusting mindset of a baby, he almost didn’t want to let him go.

Suddenly, an idea came to his mind. “This will happen again, yes?” He asked, a faint air of hopefulness in his tone.

Lance looked up to him. “Yeah, it’s a pretty usual thing for him.” He said.

The Galra hummed, hiding how his hope was growing. “Then I will need to learn to care for him in the future, correct? It will be inconvenient to need to get him to the castle whenever he regresses.” He reasoned, knowing that it would be difficult to always be within a close enough range with the castle for it to be a possibility.

“Yeah, you really should.” Lance agreed as he looked down to Keith and sighed. “But it’s also his decision. If he didn’t want you to do it- which I’m not saying he will- then we can’t force him into it.” He explained.

“But then again he does seem to like you, so I don’t think he would object.” The paladin said again, almost thinking out loud.

Kolivan nodded, understanding that it wasn’t their decision. “Regardless, I believe it would be useful if I were to learn to care for him.” Being a veteran of war, he knew that things did not always go according to plan; if Keith regressed at the wrong time, Kolivan could be the only available person to care for him. In such a situation, he would need to know what to do.

“Yes, you’re right. But i still can’t stay here to teach you.” Lance said. “Unless you’re willing to come stay in the castle until Keith feels big again? And then we can discuss everything with him and figure something out?” He proposed, trying to thinking of a solution.

This time, the Galra couldn’t stop himself from smiling. He would have to shift around some responsibilities, but he could definitely leave the base for a few days. “That sounds like a plan.” He agreed. 


	3. Chapter 3

Lance packed up what of Keith’s things he would need while they were back at the castle and started bringing everything to the blue lion. While he was getting ready to leave, Kolivan was busy assigning duties for the next week or so to prepare for his absence. The only item he would bring with him would be a data table, which would allow him to check in on the base to make sure everything was running smoothly.

Once he was finished preparing and he’d grabbed what he needed, he headed towards the hangers. Lance and Keith were already set to leave, waiting patiently in the robotic lion for him to show up. So when he reached the sentient beast, it lowered its head and opened its jaws to allow him entry.

Inside the cockpit, Keith was sitting on the floor, a small blanket in his lap. His stuffed lion was tucked back inside his diaper bag, it’s head poking out of the top for easy access. Although it probably wouldn’t be needed, as Keith looked more ready for a nap than anything else.

“All set?” Lance asked from where he was sitting at the controls, getting ready to take off.

“Yes.” The Galra replied, setting his tablet down by Keith’s bag. There were no seats in the cockpit other than the pilot’s chair, so he sat down next to Keith, ready to wait out the ride.

Lance hummed. “Alright, here we go.” He said as the blue lion lifted off the hanger floor and flew away from the base, headed on the quickest route to the castle of lions.

The blue paladin focused completely on piloting, leaving Keith to Kolivan. The Galra sighed a little at the responsibility, unsure of how well he could care for the boy for another few hours.

He looked over to the red paladin, catching him in the midst of a yawn. The blade smiled at the cute display, fascinated by how quickly the hybrid tired out, considering he’d already slept for a couple of hours earlier. Did he usually sleep this much, or was it a regression thing?

Keith looked back at his leader with tired eyes once the yawning subsided. He lifted a hand to his head and drug it down the length of his face, splaying and then closing his fingers through the motion. Kolivan wasn’t sure what that was supposed to mean, but when Keith reached for him he figured he wanted to be cuddled and go to sleep.

The Galra pulled the baby into his lap, crossing his legs to make a decently large space for him to settle down in. Keith seemed content to lay down and use his leader’s knee as a pillow, starting to drift off as soon as he was comfortable. Kolivan found his blanket abandoned on the floor a few feet away and draped it over the child’s body, and just like that he was asleep.

After only a few minutes, Kolivan could already feel the effects of sitting motionless on the floor sinking into his muscles, but he didn’t dare move, lest he wake Keith. Not only would he feel guilty and probably cause a crying fit, but he would ruin the chance of having a completely calm and quiet ride to the castle. If Keith happened to sleep through the next few hours, he wouldn’t really need to be cared for, which would mean no confused scrambling on Kolivan’s part.

An hour went by quietly, and it seemed that Keith would sleep until they were at the castle. Lance mumbled something from the pilot’s seat, which the Galra’s ears were able to pick up as ‘he probably won’t sleep tonight.’ Oh, so the boy was sleeping more than he usually did. Still, even with that information, he didn’t move to wake him. He was worried it would do more harm than good.

Suddenly, the ship shook as a piece of debris collided with the lion’s flank. It was nothing major, barely more than a quick tremor, but seconds after the incident Keith was awake and wailing.

Kolivan stared down at the younger blade in surprise, shocked that such a small jostle had him so upset. He wasn’t just crying, like he’d expect from the paladin after being suddenly woken up; he was howling, like he’d been hurt or scared by the impact. He tried gently patting the child’s stomach, but it did little to soothe him.

Before the Galra could start fumbling to calm him down, Lance turned on the autopilot and left the controls to tend to Keith. “Oh, Keith it’s okay.” He cooed, carefully lifting the baby out of Kolivan’s lap and holding him close. He placed a hand under the boy to balance his weight, then reached for his bag.

“Could you watch the controls for me? Make sure we don’t hit anything else?” The blue paladin asked as he gently shushed the crying child in his arms, though it did nothing to calm him.

Kolivan nodded, gratefully standing and stretching his legs. “Did the tremor scare him?” He wondered, confused by what caused Keith to begin wailing so suddenly.

Lance shook his head. “No, he’s not scared. I just have to take care of something real quick.” He explained cryptically, carrying the baby outside the cockpit to take care of whatever that ‘something’ was.

After he left, Kolivan stood beside the pilot’s chair and watched asteroids and pieces of debris fly by the lion. His ears twitched at the faint sound of Keith continuing to cry, the sound making him feel worried. He knew that the boy would be fine though, Lance had him.

At some point the faint cries faded. Another few minutes after that Lance was carrying a fussy Keith back into the cockpit. The child clung to him, teary eyed and sniffling as he suckled heavily on his pacifier. He glanced over at Kolivan, his face pinkening slightly as he turned away.

The Galra watched the baby curiously, intrigued by how drastically his mood had changed from earlier. Human children were interesting creatures.

Lance took his seat again at the controls, settling Keith down in his lap and letting him cuddle into his torso. With a sigh, the blue paladin said, “Sorry, he usually isn’t this fussy.” The brunette gently ran his fingers through the baby’s hair, hoping to soothe him a little. “He’s just having a rough day.”

Kolivan hummed. That was understandable.

*****

By the time they arrived at the castle of lions, Keith was feeling much calmer, although he was still a bit upset. However, that quickly changed when he was carried outside of the blue lion and he saw who was waiting in the hanger.

Keith squealed loudly in excitement as he saw the rest of his team and immediately began squirming in Lance’s arms, wanting to go to them. The blue paladin chuckled at his behavior and held him close so he wouldn’t fall.

Shiro greeted them first as the leader, happily taking Keith from Lance and ruffling his hair fondly. The boy giggled joyfully. “Hey kiddo! I missed you!” He exclaimed.

The little grinned. “Miss you!” He chirped back, giving the man a tight hug before he sat up in his arms. He turned to the others and waved enthusiastically, earning himself four more in return.

Allura took the boy next, holding him above her head easily with her Altean strength. She beamed up at the child and rubbed her nose against his, causing more excited giggles to fall from his lips. “How’s my little boy?” She cooed as she kissed his cheek multiple times, then finally sat him on her hip.

Keith pecked her cheek in return. “Good!”

Kolivan watched as the rest of the paladins took turns holding Keith and greeting him, a small smile growing on his own lips at the sight. It was fascinating to watch how his team interacted with him, so sure of their actions and not afraid of accidentally doing something wrong. The yellow paladin even spun the baby around, causing him to shake his head and frown, not liking the movement, but all he had to do was flip the child upside down and he was squealing happily again.

Once Keith had come down from his excitement at getting to see his team again, he turned back towards Kolivan and pointed to him. “Kitty!” He babbled, introducing the Galra to the team.

The blade’s face straightened at that. He wasn’t used to being called the nickname of a cuddly earth creature. Nor did he ever think he would be.

Shiro, who was currently holding Keith, chuckled. “I saw that one coming.” He said. “Do you wanna go with kitty?” The man asked as he looked down at the boy in his arms.

The little nodded and reached towards Kolivan. The Galra stepped forward and took him, even if he was disgruntled by the boy’s name for him. He sat the child on his hip and sighed. “You couldn’t choose a different name, could you?”

Keith beamed.

Lance came up behind the blade and patted his back. Keith’s bag was slung over his shoulder from when he went back inside his lion to grab it. “Sorry, but his mind is made up.” He said.

Kolivan frowned a little, grieving the loss of his strong and stoic image. Such a reputation would be a little hard to maintain with a child sitting on his hip calling him ‘kitty.’

The blue paladin chuckled at that. “Oh, lighten up Kolivan. You’ll learn to love it.” He said.

“Kolivan?” Allura spoke up, grabbing the Galra’s attention. “Why did you come back to the castle? Has there been a change in the empire’s plans?” She wondered, surprised to see the blade’s leader at the castle. He usually only left the base of something serious was going on.

“No, there have been no changes.” Kolivan assured her. “The blue paladin and I have decided I should learn to care for Keith.” He explained.

The princess ‘oohed.’ “Well then, we have a lot to teach you, don’t we?” She hummed.

Lance nodded in agreement with her. “Yes, we do.” He said. “Let’s get started.” 


End file.
